The Power To Heal
by slightlyxmarionette-esque
Summary: A multichapter story about Rin and Haru. It focuses on their relationship and the curse. Pairing:: RinxHaru
1. Haru's Moment

A/n: I just read about the whole RinxHaru epidemic, and I thought it was so sad and powerful that I absolutely had to write a fic about it. You may not understand what some parts are talking about unless your very famalier with the Furuba manga and what happens later on. If you've only read up to the 43rd chapter, then you'll still get it some, cuz thats when Rin was first introduced. I tried to put everything into this and hopefully it turned out okay...XSweatdropsX Some parts are iffy, cuz I wrote this in a hurry and I still don't **_fully_** understand their whole relationship, but I used what I knew and hopefully i'll know more later on. I hope you like it. If I get enough reviews, I might turn this into a story instead of just a one-shot. I'm a review whore! ; ) Newho, enjoy!

XHugglesPlushieX

Disclaimer: If I owned Furuba, I would be rich, make Aya my personal dress maker, and buy lots of cheese! That, folks, means that I do not own Fruit's Basket, because 1.) I am not rich, 2.) Aya isn't real...T.T (Unforunately), and 3.) I am currently out of cheese T.T. The world is cruel!

XxXThe Power To HealXxX

"Rin…". He saw her collapse on the rain soaked sidewalk, hair scattering about her like fallen leaves as everything stopped in that moment just for her, it seemed. Racing toward her, ignoring his own wildly beating heart as he lifted her head with both hands, her face tilting to the side as she shook, watching her eyelids flutter with the softest wind of breath , gazing upon her face with such worry and hints of anger that he'd never been good at concealing, he felt such sorrow and frustration that came with being completely helpless. This feeling…he never wanted this for her. It wouldn't be like last time when he couldn't even protect her from her own parent's abuse. This time he would be strong for her. This time he would make it okay and show her that he wasn't as weak as he used to be.

"Rin…", he exhaled again, looking around for some kind of help. But no one had stopped…they had all continued walking, not even giving a second glance to the youth and the hauntingly pale woman laying in his arms over the tips of their umbrella's.

His hand graced her cheek ever so softly, noticing how she shivered at the contact and how cold she seemed in the humid atmosphere of downtown Tokyo.

He stood, bending over to pick her up as he started carrying her down the street. There was only one place that they could go to be safe from Akito: Kazuma's dojo. She clung to him with the little strength that she possessed, her breath coming out in irregular wisps as she broke out in a cold sweat, whimpering as if enthralled in a nightmare.

"It'll be okay, Rin. You'll be okay", he whispered, freeing his hand to smooth back her hair from her expressionless countenance.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Kazuma! Kazuma!", Haru called out as he came bursting through the sliding paper door of the dojo, slightly out of breath, soaking from head to toe. There was no answer, and Haru started to get slightly panicked. What if Kazuma had gone out? Or he was visiting Akito?

"Haru!", Kazuma started as he appeared behind him in the doorframe. "Sorry for the wait. I was finishing up with some st-", he stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw Rin unconscious in Haru's arms.

"Oh my. Lay her down over here on the couch.", Kazuma gestured as he helped lift Rin. "I'll call Hatori-"

"No!", Haru said sharply, cutting off Kazuma. "She'll be fine…Can't she just stay here?", he finished weakly, gazing down at her frail body.

Kazuma looked at the young ox with sympathy and compassion as he frowned slightly. "If I don't call Hatori to come see her, then she'll be worse off. She might even have to go back to the hospital. You don't want that, do you?"

Haru remained silent as Kazuma went into the kitchen to call the family doctor, listening faintly as he heard traces of their conversation.

"She's too weak…"

"Akito won't be happy…"

"I'll be over soon…"

For the first time that night, Haru let himself sink down into a nearby chair as familiar thoughts raced through his mind. All she wanted was to break the curse…and by doing so it had all but broke her. Her intentions were in the right place…But in the end, could the curse ever truly be broken? Even if it was, their would still always be some lingering doubt…some lingering ghosts that would never leave their thoughts. He had accepted what was to be, but Rin…she could never accept it. He loved her, more than anything. He had thought she had felt the same way…but lately…he didn't even know who she was anymore. It had been tough…he knew Akito had talked to her. About him, he couldn't be sure. The words that she had spoke that day in the hospital, though…"I don't need you anymore. I'm tired of you" That had hurt him more than he could say. He had only wanted to protect her…and he couldn't even do that. Akito was right about one thing, though…his love for her had been selfish, and it hurt her more than he had ever thought. All the guilt he had felt from knowing that…It was unbearable. She was his best friend, his lover, the one person who he would do anything for. So how come he never realized that his love could and would result in dire consequences when it was so real to her? She had been hesitant to start a relationship…but he had pushed her into it. Not thinking of the future…only living for what he felt.

That had been his biggest mistake. It was too late now…everything was already done, the damage irreplaceable. If their was still hope for Rin to recover…It was slim. She had started to lose hope ever since she had fallen ill…And it hurt him to watch her become like this, pushing him away, trying to make him go away. But he wouldn't give up on her. He would always love her, and would stay with her until the very end. Even if now he didn't understand, even when she got angry and swore that she didn't love him and that she never would, he couldn't accept that. He had only wanted her happiness, thinking that since they were both cursed that it would be okay as long as Akito didn't find out. But of course, he had. What had been said that day? If only he knew more…Rin sure wasn't going to tell him. If she was trying to protect him, she was only killing him by getting herself hurt worse. All the secrets and lies that seemed to be floating around that everyone concealed sure weren't helping any.

One day he would know the whole truth, and one day he would love her without fear or sadness. He knew in his heart that she wouldn't recover, but he believed it. He believed that his love could help her even if they could never be together and he had to watch her from afar…He would always have her…Even if she slipped away without breaking the curse. He knew she had made a big difference, even if it didn't amount to what she wanted. It would all be revealed in the end, however much he longed things to be, it would only ever be how Akito wanted it to be, even though so many had tried. She had tried when no one else had. She was something else…something special. He needed her, and she needed him, even though she would never say anything to prove that.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Kazuma taped Haru on the shoulder, bringing him out of his reverie as he lifted his head out of hands.

"Hatori is here", Kazuma whispered, turning around and going to the door as the doctor pulled up in his car.

Haru gazed upon the love of his life once more, seemingly so weak and frail, but stronger than anyone could ever imagine. Going to her side, he brought his hand to her face as he bent down and kissed her softly.

"Haru…", she mumbled fitfully as he paused, wondering if she awoke. She tossed and turned, mumbling more in her sleep. Sighing, Haru left her side as Hatori came in the dojo, frowning at him as he went over and started taking things out of his medicine bag.

Haru had always been the only one she would let get close to her ever since they were little kids. He missed that closeness…the growing gap that Akito had wedged between them. Maybe they wouldn't ever be free, but he couldn't just stand here, knowing that he was so useless and that he had failed to protect her, without hurting at the sight of this beautiful woman being reduced to…what she was now. He stood in the background, waiting for his chance to make her see when she regained everything that she had lost. He didn't know how long that would be, but he would wait always. Because one day he wouldn't be so useless. One day he would be there for her and she would realize that yes, love can hurt, butit also has the power to heal, too.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Click the button! You know what I'm talking about! And leave your little comment so I can improve my work! Also any information about Rin would be greatly appreciated. : ) Flames will be used to roast marshmellows!


	2. Rin's Pov

A/n: I wrote another chappie! Yay! XBowsX Most of this was written at school during various times, and when I got home I typed it and added some stuff, so I hope you like it. I was so happy cuz I got three reviews for the first chappie! 3 They inspired me to continue with this, so thanks for reviwing if you did! It means a lot to me, so review on this chappie, too! XWinkWinkX I don't really know where this story is going...I have a vague plot planned out in my mind but I don't know if that's where it will end up, cuz the characters tend to have minds of their own...XMumbleMumbleX But it's okay, cuz even I'm surprised with what I write! xD There will be another chappie, but I don't know when it will be written...I'm totally swamped at school. So...If I don't write in awhile, don't give up on me! I'll just have to make the next one extra good! ; ) Sorry this is short! (Yeah...I talk a lot...bleh. xD)

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Haru", she mumbled fitfully, caught up in yet another nightmare that seemed to constantly plague her unconscious mind. She kept running toward him, only to have him slip further away every time she tried to regain lost ground.

"Come back!", she called out in a voice that was not her own as she dashed madly to reach him, his serene smile bouncing off the walls that seemed to be closing in faster with each passing second. He turned, his back facing her as he walked over the edge of darkness just to slip into the unknown realm below.

As if a movie speeding up from slow motion, she suddenly reached where Haru had been standing moments before and looked down into the pit of enveloping solitude that seemed to throw all her frustrations back at her.

Inhaling sharply, she paled at what she saw- Two hauntingly coal black eyes that seemed to taunt her defiantly staring up at her amidst the darkness, never blinking, never leaving her face, always watching. She knew that set of eyes. Akito. So beautiful and cold, manipulative and calculating. She knew that he had got Haru. This realization was more than she could bear. Aktio's eyes seem to smirk at her, laughing at her helpless form as her breathing came out in gasps, slowly suffocating the life out of her. His eyes seemed to be coming to get her, enveloping her, weighing her down, killing the people that she had ever dared to love. Faster, faster, they came toward her, until they were almost on top of her as she screamed-

"No!", she yelled, bolting up in bed. Cold sweat poured off her face as she looked around frantically.

"Where am I?", she panted, scanning the area with her eyes for some clue. The room was dark, the only light pouring in was the moonlight that streamed through an open window at the far end of the wall. She couldn't see much, but she could hear the beeping of the various machines that she was now hooked up to. Her arms were numb, and she was shaking, but she was otherwise okay. The last thing she remembered was seeing Ren and asking her if she knew how to break the curse. "Yes. I know how."

Those words had sparked what little hope that she had left. If Ren really knew…She closed her eyes, thinking how nice it would be, even if it was just wishful thinking. Laying back on the firm pillows she had been provided, she remembered her dream. Her nightmare. It had all been so real. It made her realize that now, more than ever, was not the time to be depending on Haru. The danger was all to real, and Haru would end up hurt, or worse, blinded by Akito. Their ever loving god. She knew that he would follow through with his threats, and that's why she had to protect Haru more than ever now by keeping her feelings to herself. She couldn't allow him to be close to her. She did everything for him, all of this…all for him, so he could be free. So he would be happy. If he saw that she really did love him still underneath everything that she had been through, then he would want to be with her. And being with her would only result in him getting hurt. So he could never see. Whenever asked about it, she would deny it feverently, usually ending up threatening whoever it was that had brought it up. Word gets around quick, especially at the main house and to Akito, and he could never know. Never.

"Rin!", Haru yelled as he slammed open the door and stood there, out of breath. "Are you okay? I heard a sc-", he started, walking toward her. (A/N-It too him so long cuz his room is on the other side of the dojo…and he had to put on pants. xD Don't ask. Any who, continuing…)

"No! Stay back! Don't come near me!", she screamed, inching away from the edge of the bed that he was steadily approaching. He stopped, face void of emotion as he just stood there, staring at her.

"Why are you still here? Go! Go away! Shoo!", she demanded as he ignored her, pausing to think something over as he started walking towards her again.

"Stop! Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll…I'll kill you!", she threatened, her voice becoming slightly more high-pitched than usual as he ignored her and kept inching steadily closer to her bedside.

She searched for something to throw at him, but their weren't any weapons to be found. (When I wrote this, I couldn't stop laughing for some reason. Haha. D) He stopped when he reached her, still staring at her silently as her eyes widened in panic and fear. She was like a wounded animal caught in the headlights as he sat down very gently on the edge of the bed; It creaked slightly as silence reigned over the two, each afraid to go any further than the other one would allow.

"Stop it", she whimpered. "Stop…loving me", she pleaded, voice filled with such emotion and longing that it made Haru want to take her in his arms and comfort her. But that bridge had been burned long ago, and whether or not she would let him was another matter entirely. So he simply brought his shaking hand to her pale face, his almost symbolic gesture meaning more than words ever could as she gazed into his saddened eyes, his features chiseled with worry. He really did look older than his sixteen years, she thought idly. She couldn't hurt him anymore. She couldn't live with herself if something happened to him…all because of her. She was so tired of it. So tired. Her hand came up, quickly and forcefully, coming down across his face in one swift movement. His head snapped to the side from the impact of the slap, eyes never widening as he expected just as much from her in this state.

"I'm-"

"Out! I don't need you anymore! I don't want you! You mean nothing to me! NOTHING!", she screamed, her hand still stinging from the blow as Haru slipped out quietly and shut the door, never looking back at her.

Once again, the room was penetrated by silence.

Rin laid there, wincing every so often when sharp pains shot down her side from her ulcer. No one had come to see her yet, besides Haru, but now she at least knew that she was at Kazuma's dojo…It was the only place that she could possibly be. But how did she get here? Did Ren bring her back? No, she wouldn't have. She remembered warm fingertips and faint whispering. "You'll be okay, Rin. You'll be okay." Haru. But how had he known where she was? Was he spying on her for Akito? Such thoughts made her shiver. She knew that he would never do that. He would never play more into this then he had to.

It must have been Kureno, the meddling rooster. He told Haru where she had gone, she was sure of it. She couldn't stay mad at him, though. After all he helped her through…getting out of the cat's rooms, bringing her to the dojo…If Haru hadn't showed up, she didn't even know if she'd be alive right now. Some renegade thought told her that maybe she didn't want to be. She pushed that aside, startled by it's blunt logic. She had been through hell, yes, but she would never give up. Not as long as Haru needed her. Not as long as he was still cursed. She had come too far to just quit. That thought wasn't acceptable.

Still, she hated Haru seeing her so weak and frail. She was supposed to be strong, the one who would break the curse, and instead she couldn't even stand up on her own. Pathetic. She was pathetic. Everyone that she had ever loved didn't love her back. The one person that she did love, she couldn't be near because she would only hurt him. Akito was right about that one thing. If she couldn't be with him, at least he could be free. She would never believe that it was a fools dream. It could be beat, and she would be the one to do it.

Her body was becoming more weak, though…Her strength was waning and she was having difficulty doing the things she was once able to do with ease. Her sanity was going ever so slowly, to…In and out of various hospitals, restraints and everything else to tie her down because she was "difficult." Yes, she had ran away from it all, knowing that she would possibly not survive on her own, but it was better than being places that she loathed. So cold, so silent. Just like her childhood had been.

It hurt to see everyone around her being hurt, which made her lose hope ever so slowly until she had been so far down in her self despair that she didn't ever think that she would make it out. And now she was back at the dojo, where her "new" life had begun…This wasn't right. She didn't need to be here because she hadn't figured it all out yet. She couldn't start over…She had to talk to Ren. She had to or she would go insane. If Ren knew how to break the curse…It would change everything. It would change her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Oh! Poor Haru! Sniff (lol) Review...If I don'tget anyinspiration and support, I might not continue...

Poll: Who would you want a plushie of?

1.) Haru

2.) Rin

3.) Ayame

4.) Shigure

My vote is Haru! tehehe XTwitchX


	3. Haru's Touch

A/N-Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! XsweatdropsX School has been crazy! But now were out for the summer and i'm posting another chappie! Yay! To clear some things up: Ren is Akito's mother...and...that's pretty much it: P The next chappie will be posted shortly...sorry for all the shortness but this story is spiraling downward...(lol) But it's starting to get more into the plot now instead of them just talking about their feelings & whatnot, so your probably happy (I know I am!)

Oh, and...Haru won the plushie poll! Erm...but Rin was a close second: )

Disclaimer: Um...see first chapter...? (I can't remember if I put one...XCofX)

He slept restlessly that night until he couldn't stand it anymore and finally gave up on any sleep that he may have gotten and went to sit on the cushion that was placed underneath the open window that was letting in a cool summer wind.

Clothed in nothing but a pair of boxers printed with images of little horses on them, he shivered against the night's breeze, but made no attempt to right this discrepancy; Instead he stayed there, his expression solemn and his eyes staring out at the seemingly gentle world that he had been borne into; The world that had caused him so much pain. Without pain, there could never be happiness, he knew. But it was hard to remember the good times when the bad ones swallowed you up until you started to think that you might never feel any joy ever again.

It was a hollow, empty feeling that he'd carried around even before all of this began. He had felt it whenever he had went to visit Yuki with Rin when they were little kids, after Yuki had been beaten by Akito. It was not a good feeling, and he knew that Rin had more than her share of feeling that way. To protect her meant more than he could ever say, and at one point he had even believed that he had lived just for that reason.

"No!"

The scream rang out across the dojo and sent a sickening chill down his spine as he quickly bolted up, instantly recognizing the voice. He looked all around, searching for his pants (A/N-See? It makes sense now…xD). After finding said pants, he dashed toward the room that Rin was currently staying in an almost trance like state, his feet moving automatically to where he knew that she would be.

Flinging open the door, he paused, seeing her there, her brows knitted together as if she were thinking of some horrible nightmare and trying to decipher it. Her face was so exposed, like pictures hanging openly on the wall as he just stared at her, sitting there, more vulnerable than he had seen her in a long time. He stepped toward her slowly, not wanting to alarm her as she finally noticed his presence, her eyes widening in fear and desperation as they almost immediately took on a look of anger. But her eyes had already betrayed her true feelings….he paused, remembering how everyone he had ever loved had wore that same countenance at one point. It hurt to see her look so…ashamed of her feelings. Her feelings for him.

She seemed to grow more violent with every step that he took, yelling things that he knew she didn't mean but that hurt all the same. Things that she had said back at the hospital, when she had broke up with him before. He had to do this, though. Every step that he took symbolized another barrier that he was beginning to break down, slowly but surely. He knew that she didn't want that to happen….but he still continued. He knew she was becoming weaker, and maybe it was just her current state that made her act so vulnerable, but he would use it to his advantage. That's all that he had left to do.

And then he had reached her…reached out to her, watching her eyes for a sign only to find haunting memories and demons that were all too real to them wallowing in the black depths. His touch…his fingers, gently caressing her smooth skin, lightly pressed to her cheek…It was enough to make him go insane. He had missed their closeness, had missed touching her, had missed…her.

He lingered in the moment, forgetting himself to only her and how she was so…beautiful, even now. She always would be to him. It was a tender moment, but they couldn't afford any of those, as she all too well reminded him with a slap that sent his head reeling. As she screamed and he quietly slide the door shut, he felt like he was closing a lot more than that. For it wasn't the slap that had hurt the most; It was the numb ache that accompanied the feeling of losing what he had worked so hard to maintain.

Haru sat up, blinking, not noticing that he had woke up shirtless in the middle of the hallway until he had gotten dressed and washed his face. "How did that happen?", he mumbled, still not fully awake as he walked around aimlessly with a blank look on his face, trying to find the kitchen so he could make him and possibly Rin (If she wasn't still mad at him) breakfast.

"Oh. That's right…last night…Rin….", he muttered as he stopped walking, standing there troubled in the middle of the living room. He had hoped it was some bad dream…but as he looked down at his hand, it tingled with warmth like only Rin's skin could make it do.

He twitched as he stared at his hand, looking up after noticing the all too unusual quietness that seemed to lay over the whole dojo like an eerie blanket. Getting a sense of overwhelming suffocation, he realized with worry that he hadn't seen anyone since this morning, either. He felt lost in that living room that seemed to be getting smaller with every passing second. His mind screamed out in caution as he started walking hurriedly toward the room that Rin was staying in on the other side of the dojo. His hurried walking soon became a full out run as he heard sobs coming from that area of the dojo. He stopped at the paper door, afraid of what he would find yet more afraid of what he wouldn't.

Gathering up his courage, he slid the door open, revealing Kazuma standing by the open window, sobbing freely. The room was a mess. Rin's bed had been overturned, and the walls were covered with blood; it stained the light carpet a dark brown in splotches that were littered haphazardly around the small space. Glass was laying on the floor as well from the windowpane that had been broken, and the pink curtains were still in the morning's humid day. The books that had been sitting neatly on a row of shelves had all been pulled down and thrown across the room, adding to the broken scene. Other than the room being ransacked, everything was there; everything except Rin.

Haru stood in the doorframe, observing all of this with a concerned and somewhat scared countenance. He rushed over to Kazuma who had stopped crying but who still seemed very upset and took him by the shoulders, shaking him.

"Where's Rin?", he asked frantically as he realized what he was doing and let go of his robes, waiting for him to say something.

Kazuma turned away from him, staring at the solemn room as a few more tears trickled down his cheeks.

"What' wrong?", Haru asked more softly this time, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him back around so that he was facing him.

"I shouldn't have left her alone here", he whispered, his face showing the pain that he felt.

"What happened to Rin? Where is she?", Haru demanded more fiercely.

"She…she wasn't even supposed to be here. I was never supposed to help her, but I couldn't just…And I tried to do what he wanted, I really did…I never wanted her to get hurt", Kazuma muttered, looking down as more tears slid down his face and left marks on the white carpet.

"Just tell me where she is! Did you do anything to her? Was it….Akito?" As he said that, he felt something drop in his stomach as if by saying it aloud it could make what he just said a reality that he hadn't thought about before in his dazed state.

Kazuma was silent and looked away from him.

"No…no…no no no no no!", Haru screamed, hitting anything he could with his fist. "Why can't he just leave her alone? WHY!", Haru had turned black now, his emotions overcoming him as he glared at Kazuma. "This is all your fault! ALL YOUR FAULT!" He swung his fist at him, fully aware that Kazuma could block him easily, but it never came and Kazuma landed on the floor. He didn't make a move to get up as Haru rushed outside to the Main House to find Rin.

"It might as well be my fault…", Kazuma muttered as he laid there from his position on the floor. "I couldn't stop him."


	4. Rin's realization

A/N-OMG GUYS I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I've been going through alot of stuff right now & totally disregarded this story...T.T The next update won't be for awhile either...I have to write the next chapter and the one after that is already complete (I know..it's screwy..hehe) Well tell me what you think of this one!

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

XxXYou took your coat off and stood in the rain  
You were always crazy like that  
I watched from my window  
Always felt I was outside looking in on you  
You were always the mysterious one with dark eyes and careless hair  
You were fashionably sensitive, but too cool to care  
Then you stood in my doorway, with nothing to say  
Besides some comment on the weather  
Well in case you failed to notice, in case you failed to see  
This is my heart bleeding before you, this is me down on my kneesXxX

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The clock on the wall kept Rin up as she thought of how she would get out of here-leaving again would be hard, but she had too…it was the only fair thing to do-for herself, for everyone…for him. The hurt when he had come to see her-it was better if she left now. She would figure out what to do later. She was putting Kazuma and Kureno in danger, too…they had helped her so much, and if Akito found out that they were hiding her away like this then they would surely have to face his wrath.

Making up her mind, she paused, giving herself a moment to relish in the precious memories that she had shared with Haru ever since they were little- when he had comforted her, her first kiss that was nothing but awkward, his loving eyes that sparkled when he first told her he loved her and that he would never let her go…tears slid down her cheeks. She hadn't cried in so long for her past…it wasn't his fault. Maybe their love was selfish and forbidden, but it was all she had known for so long. The only thing that she had to believe in-leaving it now, it felt like she was abandoning everything…him. He didn't care for anything but her, but she couldn't believe that. He had to live…they had to live. They would never truly be happy under Akito's rule unless they were FREE…not living in this suffocated cage that he carefully crumbled beneath him every time he had a whim. It wouldn't do. Ren held the answers.

Gently picking herself up out of bed, she winced, coughing up a little blood as she sat up, holding onto the bed frame for support. She mustered all her strength as she stood, her small frame shaking lightly from not standing in so long. She let go of the bed, taking a few steps toward the window as her head swam from getting up to fast; the room became a swirling blur to her as she struggled to remain upright. She grabbed onto the bookshelf in a vain attempt to steady herself, but all she caused was the books to scatter as her arm knocked them off as she fell to her knees. She crawled along the floor, every inch causing her excruciating pain. She hadn't realized that she had gotten this weak. She finally reached the windowsill as she used it to pull herself up and force open the latch with her remaining strength as she hoisted the window up.

"Well well….what do we have here?", Akito stepped out of the shadows into the dim light coming from the moon that was filtering into the room, an amused smirk gracing his features as he sneered at her.

She froze, her body acting out against her own will as he stepped closer to her, stopping in the middle of the room to better access the situation.

"Trying to play the hero again, Rin?", he smirked, as if it all were an amusing little joke that only he knew. Rin wanted to smack that smirk right off his unblemished face, but all she could do was sit there dumbly.

"Why so silent? You know that's what you try to do…but it always fails…or hurts the people that you care about the most…that HELPED you…", he sneered maliciously.

"Oh god. He knows…", she thought in terror. "No…this can't be happening. This can't be happening….", her head screamed.

"So where is that dumb cow that tags around after you? Your just going to leave him after everything that he's done for you? What kind of…THING does that make you?"

She knew he was playing his little mind games, but what he said was true. She didn't need to hear what she already knew. Catching her breath, she whispered "Shut up."

She picked herself up from off of the window as she stood there facing him now, the only thing holding her up was the frame of the window.

"WHAT…did you say to me?"

"SHUT UP!", she screamed, her slight frame shaking.

In one fluid movement he was coming down upon her, his rage obvious as his spit flew in her face.

NEVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN! I am your master, and you have to obey me!" , he gripped her arms, and she knew it would leave a mark.

He paused, staring at her and smirking evilly. "So…your going to talk to my mother…but she doesn't know anything…"

"Your lying!", she struggled against him, but it was no use; he was stronger than he looked and she was so very weak in her current state-she didn't stand a chance.

He brought his arm up, smacking her hard across the face and let go of her as she fell to the floor. Colors swam in front of her vision.

"You won't ever find a cure! It doesn't exist! Stop trying to be something, because your NOTHING! NOTHING! Just like all of the others! They've accepted it, so why can't you? This is how it's supposed to be! There is nothing else! Why do you continue to hurt everyone around you like this? Give up already! You'll make it worse for them!" He looked down at her barely breathing form on the floor, a slow smile spreading out across his face like water spilt over a smooth marble countertop. "Or have you already given up?"

A door slammed and then he was being pulled away from her form as Kazuma struggled to get control of him. "Go…you won't find anything there! YOU WON'T! But go…and you will. Because your nothing but a fool! A fool who can't do anything!", and he dissolved into delusional laughter as his body became frail once again from all the exertion and his limp body was being dragged out of the room.

Rin lay there for only a second, her limbs on fire as she numbly sat up, head hurting like hell as she gazed out of the open window. She was going to go-no matter what Akito said. There was bound to be some things that even he didn't know-and she would find out what they were. If Ren was lying…she couldn't accept that. She had no reason to deceive her. It was the only thing that she had left to count on. She dropped out of the window and rolled onto the grass, letting the cold blades cool her feverish forehead a moment before setting out into the dark abyss that was her shadowed protector with a obvious limp and bones aching from the very depth of her soul. At least she knew that this time every footstep couldn't hurt her or bring her somewhere that she would end up getting hurt worse because she couldn't hurt any worse-she was traveling into the unknown with unreliable answers to mysterious questions with no one there to help her or to tell her that she would be okay-because no one could know but her. And she didn't know. What would happen now? All she could do was walk on, ignoring her pain as the sun gradually rose behind her, knowing that the only thing she had left to rely on was the feel of her feet hitting gravel with every step on the way to the truth she had sought for so long.

XxXYou were always…crazy…like that..XxX


	5. Poisonious Relations

A/N: I'm terrible. I felt guilty after reading the 13th volume of Furuba, and thought "My fans need me!" So here, finally, is chapter 5 of The Power To Heal. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I wish. Psh.

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You're poison running through my veins  
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains  
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Shigure hummed to himself as he walked slowly down the sidewalk just outside the network of eastern Tokyo, his eyes roaming over the lotus leaves scattered randomly throughout Manchanchi park. As kids, himself, Hatori, and Aaya would sometimes sneak out and go there just to get away from the crazy "inside" Sohmas. It was easy to go there because it was just outside the Sohma estate, and if anyone noticed that they were missing, they probably assumed they were up to their usual antics. They always found peace in its serene beauty and would marvel at how free and happy all the people that went there seemed-they especially noticed the children. How sad it was to remember. How far away it felt.

But remembering this was easy, because he had just come from the Sohma estate and met with Akito-san. Akito's words had disturbed him, but of course Shigure kept calm, as was his usual way of manipulation. Akito had been angry as always, but their was some emotion Shigure saw with unmistakable clarity in his God's eyes. Fear. He knew that Akito feared losing the members of the zodiac and that they would turn against him, but he knew that fear was somewhat misplaced. Yes, the zodiac members had all had their "rebellions", but they could never go against Akito so openly. They loved him in a way that defied all logic but it didn't matter because he was their illogical logic. He was everything when they had nothing. A constant reminder of what they all were on the inside and what they couldn't be without his beating heart. It was just one of those things you accept because you have no other choice. And once that choice is made, you learn to love it, even if it hurts you.

The fear he saw in Akito's eyes wasn't just from that constant, nagging phobia that they would all turn against him. No, it was a deeper, more irrational fear that surfaced beneath his coal iris's. A love/hate relationship so strong that could only stem from a mother/son bond. Oh, how Akito hated Ren. He hated the way she walked, how her voice got higher and higher as she screamed at him, how her nails were always freshly manicured. How she blamed him for Akira's death. But not many knew that he also loved her, in his own way. Shigure knew. He understood their relationship better than he should have, he supposed. Akito loved Ren when he was younger when he only saw her on holidays. He didn't know then that she already hated him, despised him for being born and killing the one man she thought was the best God of all. He loved her before she taunted him, putting lies into his head and tricking him into believing sins that he didn't commit. He loved her with a child's innocence. Without that innocence, his love quickly dissipated and was replaced with loathing. After all, their is a fine line between love and hate, and their relations teetered on this line precariously, always threatening to fall to either side with every argument or slap.

Shigure had come to terms with his relationship with the God awhile ago. Shigure played a bigger part in the zodiac's futures than previously thought, even by Hatori. At first, he was too young and naive to see how everything would fall into place. He had just been another one of Akito's pawns to move wherever he wanted on his customized chess board, not caring if he got devoured by the Queen. But once he discovered that he was being used, he had created an entirely new game of his own, with new rules that were fitted to their changing lives. Shigure couldn't have planned it better. Tohru was summoned to their doorstep by fate, and he had let her in graciously, sensing that their lives were going to change. She was his grasping at straws, because after Rin had failed to break the curse as promised, he had no other tricks up his sleeve. He loved Rin in a way that a doll maker loves their creations. Unlike dolls, though, she was alive and very much real. At first he thought he could use Rin to help defy Akito and be free of their restrictions, and Rin had heartily agreed, although she had a much nobler reason for accepting what he asked of her. True love.

Shigure knew this and used it to his advantage. Of course Rin knew that she was being used, but she just saw it as another obstacle she had to tackle in freeing Haru and the others. It wasn't enough that she could be with Haru physically, she explained to Shigure once when he asked her straight out why she cared so much for the cow. _It's Akito, sitting on his throne, dictating our lives and everyone being powerless against him. It was fine when he telling us where to live or when he would abuse us and then draw us close, but when he interfered with Haru, that was when I knew I couldn't live under his rule any longer. I was expecting understanding, and all I got in return was a cold cell and short hair._

Yes, Rin was wise beyond her years. And so stubborn! But even she couldn't deny that she loved Akito, for she did. She would never admit it with words, but she did, because they all did. Their was no escaping it. Even though now everyone knew her position when it came to their God, it wasn't always so open. When Shigure first came to her with his idea, after she had returned from sneaking out to meet Haru, she was already thinking along the same lines as him. She just needed a push. Shigure was her push. At first, she would do small things and sneak out to the restricted area of the Sohma library, where ancient scrolls were kept telling of The Banquet and of the previous members of the Zodiac that lived before them. What she found out was pitiful. Diligently, she would pour over the scrolls, trying to find some mishap or sentence that would aid her with her search.

Because despite all of her bravado and Shigure's assurance, she didn't know what "breaking the curse" entailed. She knew that in order for the curse to broken, Akito must live. Without him, they would all die, so it made sense that he would have to survive. Beyond that, all she knew was that the curse didn't affect Kureno (who piqued her curiosity indeed, for although he was the rooster, he did not transform, which pointed to something that proved the curse could be switched on and off, like lights.) If she could find this "switch", they would be free to live their own lives. She was sure that although Akito would still be alive, they wouldn't have to live under his rule anymore; that they would be free to love without fear and wouldn't need his logic that was illogical.

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One look could kill  
My pain, your thrill  
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But Rin had failed, and Shigure had quickly swooped in to cover up his involvement in the matter so Akito still trusted him and Shigure had time to come up with something else. For he was a writer, and every writer needs to believe in something that isn't tangible. For him, the curse he lived under provided that belief by him assuming it could be broken. Before, he had thought it a obscure notion to be dismissed with a wave of his pen, but once he saw how happy Ren had been in Rin's downfall, he began to think that their was more to everything than he had first surmised. When he felt rather than saw the curse bearing less truth than it had before, he realized that he had made the right choice, however Akito might hate him for it later.

Akito thought himself immune to such silly things as fantasies of being "free", since he had always known that he would die before he reached his eighteenth birthday, only to be replaced by a new and perhaps equally as vengeful God, and he didn't want to believe that maybe he wouldn't have to suffer. It was too hard for him to understand-this was the way things were, and their was no changing them. He would have the Zodiac for as long as possible, and then it wouldn't matter. He would be gone. Their was no use getting your hope up for something that is as tangible as air. It was like trying to convince people who had been to the moon that it was made of cheese-it wasn't going to happen.

At their meeting, Akito had told him of his "visit" with Rin. Shigure knew that Ren was holding something back from their brief talks, something that had to do with the curse and Akira, but he never pushed her about it. When you pushed Ren on things, she tended to close down; you had to let her tell you out of her own free will. He knew Ren had made Rin believe that she knew exactly how to break the curse, but Shigure doubted that. Their was some part of Ren that wanted to see Akito succeed, even if that meant him dying, but a much bigger part that wanted her son to pay for what she believed he had done. And what better payment than to make all of his phobias become reality? Shigure doubted she would offer up anything that Rin didn't already know herself, but you never knew with Ren. She was a roulette with no color, spinning wildly, her emotions often matching her son's number by number.

"Who does she think she is? I thought I had broken her already, and then she breaks out of the hospital and goes running back to her little cow? How pathetic! She doesn't stand a chance! She knows nothing! Just like that Honda girl! So utterly stupid!"

Shigure smiled. Yes, Akito's words disturbed him because he couldn't see what was happening right in front of him. He still believed that nothing could go wrong in his little world that he created for them all, but things were constantly going wrong. Akito couldn't see the truth-and it would blind him. His beliefs would be his downfall.

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I hear you calling and it's needles and pins (And pins)  
I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name  
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Ren stood in the middle of the forest, just outside Shigure's house, waiting. She had come seeking out Rin, for she knew she just left Kazuma's dojo awhile earlier, and knew she wouldn't get far from where she had started out from in her current state (his dojo being just outside the forest). Kazuma had called her, worried, which immediately alerted her that something must be seriously wrong because calling her would have been his last resort. _It must have been difficult for him_. She smiled, amused. She was somewhat of a sadist, and rejoiced in the suffering of others. She found it fitting. Kazuma knew that Rin would seek her out as her first stop, so instead of Rin traveling all the way to find her, she went to find Rin. She wouldn't mind Rin walking all the way to her home in misery, but she couldn't afford something happening to the stubborn horse. She was frail, after all. So frail that her fierce spirit might be too strong for her weak body, Ren mused. _How will I be able to use her then?_

She didn't have to wait long at all for Rin to make an appearance. She was staggering down the path that led to the main road, almost tripping over her own feet from exhaustion and physical pain. She looked as if a strong wind came through it would blow her over. _Good. This will be fun._

Ren stepped out of the trees, coming into clear view. Rin saw her and stopped walking, only a couple yards between them. Rin brought a hand up to her eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ren _never _left the main house! She walked determinedly forward.

"Hello Rin".

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

It was 4 pages typed, I swear! Review. Their will be more. Sooner update than last time. I'm not that evil.


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